How to Be Productive in Working from Home

Whether you are a student who needs to make some extra money on the side, or you are someone who works from home full time, staying productive while working in your own environment can be tough. Not only are there a ton of different distractions around you, but you also might not even be alone in the house when you need to work and that can cause you to be less focused and productive.

Being effective when working from home has to do with a lot of different things. Whether you run your own company, freelance or are a remote employee for a company, here are some tips which will help you transform the way you work from home for the better.

1. Wake up early every day

Waking up early on a daily basis is usually what’s best for most people who work from home. Studies have shown that most people are most productive during the morning hours. Apart from that, waking up early in the morning will give you the impression that you are going to work and therefore make you more productive.

Photo by: AlexMaster.

Along with that, waking up the same time every day will help you get used to a certain schedule and as a result, you will be able to concentrate more when working certain hours on a daily basis.

2. Get out of your pajamas

When working from home, it is very easy for you to just want to stay in your pajamas all day. While changing into other clothes might seem pointless since you will be inside most of the time, it will still help you feel more awake.

Photo by: Creative Nina.

Another thing it can help you with is fighting the urge to get back into bed right after you’ve had breakfast. At any point, if you end up needing a break for a nap, you will still have the liberty to put your pajamas back on and take some much-needed time off.

3. Create a comfortable office space

One of the things that will help you stay more productive when working from home is having space which will only be dedicated to your work. Having your own office will allow you to stay out of your family’s way and it will give you the chance to make it as minimalistic or as cozy as you wish so that you can stay focused whenever you need to.

One thing you should keep in mind when choosing which room will be your office is to keep it away from too much noise. For example, it would be better to have your office in the back of your house in order to avoid listening to the traffic and anyone who passes in front of your house and could potentially distract you.

4. Have strict working hours

In order to complete your work obligations successfully on a daily basis, you will need to have a certain working schedule to follow. If you just let yourself work whenever during the day you will end up making time for less important things and that will cause you to be less and less productive.

Photo by: Dean Drobot.

Working during certain hours every day will help you get used to a certain working schedule. Just like being at work, you will be able to know which hours of the day you will have to commit to working and then which you will have free in order to do anything else you wish.

One of the things that can help you get your work done faster is choosing to work with a professional service which can do some part of your work for you. For example, if you work in translations, TheWordPoint is an excellent freelancer-based service which can help you make sure your translations are well localized and free of errors.

In order to set your working schedule though, it is important for you to find out when you are most productive during the day. While there are many people who are most productive right after waking up, you might come to realize that you focus best at night. The best thing you can do is organize your time according to how you function best and benefit from staying focused during these hours.

5. Keep all distractions away

Even after creating your very own office space in your house, you should still make sure that you keep everything that could potentially distract you in a different part of the house. This could very well include your phone, tablet or anything that could make you lose your focus.

Photo by: Cressida studio.

Another thing you should keep in mind which could very well be considered a distraction is noises from outside your home as well as your doorbell ringing for any reason. One thing you can do in order to make sure you will stay concentrated is to invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones.

If you get distracted easily, you should try and stay as “isolated” as possible in order to make sure that nothing is going to get in your way while you are trying to get your work done.

6. Don’t spend all day at home

While staying concentrated inside your office will definitely help you be more effective at the same time, taking a break is also important. Spending the entire day indoors will make you feel tired and lonely and that will definitely affect the way you work and how productive you are.

Photo by: Africa Studio.

When working from home, it is very easy for you to just spend the entire day inside and end up feeling like you don’t really want to do anything outdoors. Even going for a walk in a nearby park or having some coffee with a friend outside will help you change your point of view, get some fresh air and help you clear your mind of everything that troubles you.

Being successful from home

Working from home can be a great way for you to feel more independent and get a lot done in a shorter amount of time. While it can be a little stressful, especially if you haven’t managed to figure out a schedule which works the best for you, you should still remember that your working schedule is still a lot more flexible than that of most people.

What do you enjoy the most about working from home?

PS? Most employers on Jobbatical have flexible working conditions and offer remote working possibilities, find your next dream job today.

Author’s Bio

Pauline speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and Italian. She traveled the world to immerse herself in the new cultures and learn languages. Today she is proud to be a voting member of the American Translators Association and an active participant of the Leadership Council of its Portuguese Language Division.